The Irish standard., 1887-12-31

OILS AND ST. PAUL.
on the nature of basis Of settlement.
| He distinctly abandons the claims OF
| the iapacy for a restitution Of its
former possessions, but asks that the
4 Holy Sse De freed from the vicissitudes
that attach to all temporal powers. Ele
/ contents himself with demanding a Ger
i tain kind of restricted sovereignty over
a portion Of Rome, that is, the part
across the TiDer on which the Vatican
and st. Peters stands, which would be
a territorial independence or principal :
! ity, something like Monaco and San
Marino, but with the part Of territory
extending as far as Ciyitia Vecchia,
which would allow Of the reception Of
embassies on Papal territory.
! Pope Leo Kill, whose priestly iubi~
lee is now about being celebrated in
Rome, was born March 2, 1910, at Car
pinetti, in the diocese of Anagni. 1t
is a populous little town Of 5000 inhabi-
tants, situated in cleft Of the Monti
Lepini-- an eagles nest,'' as Cardinal
Joseph Pecci described it, ''placed for
security high above the plain between
two gigantic rocks; His name is
Joachim Vincent Raphael Louis Pecci.
His family were of noble Siennese
stock celebrated tor their poetry rs
we'll as their courage. Many OF the
Peccis became celebrated in their day.
Ferdinand Pecci was renowned Law
yer in the Pontiicate of Benedict XIV,
John Baptist Pecci, Vicar General Of
Anagni, afterward Bishop of Segni
(hut death prevented him taking pos
session of his see), and a Mgr. joseph
Pecci, had SO great a reputation ia the
| Roman courts that Plus vi, intrusted
him with the law business OF the
Breschi family, then involved in = null
titude ct suits. Afterwards he gained
still higher houors under Pope Plus
| VII.-Count Dominica Ludoyico Pecci.
Count Ludovico, as he Was styled, oe-
came a soldier, being pressed into the
service of Napoleon. tIe married
Anna prosperi Bugi, the daughtelr Of a
noble house OF the ancient Volsclan
City of Cora, not far distant from Car
pinetto. 1t was thsir fourth son who
now occupies the throne Of ST. Peter.
The old palace where Joachim was
born still stands in the little town OF
| Carpinetto, ard is visited yearly by
many pilgrims. Some facts of the pres
ent Pope's early life will be of interest
today. We will Gull them from DR.. Ber-
slard O'Reilly's work on 1.-THE Life OF
Leo KILL which he wrote with the
encouragement and appreciation OF the
Pope, who supplied him with authen-
tic records IN manuscript relating to
bis early life. After his mother S
death, being then eight years old, he
! was sent with his brother to school at
the Jesuit College at Viterbe, and here
lit wag he first showed his intellectual
( talents. especially in the study Of Latin
and Greek classics. In 1925 the famous
Roman College of Jesuits was restored,
and Joachim Pecci was sent there to
complete his studies. There he won
the first prize for excellence in prose
composition, and was allowed the hon.
or Of delivering the class GRAFTON at the
close of the year, his subject being:
.sPagan Rome as Compared with Chris
titan Ronle'' At this period he was
only fourteen years Of age. The same
wear he was awarded the first bonors
in Greek over the Whole school. One
of his schoolmates in Viterbo and
Rome wrote OF these days Immediately
after his election: II can bear witness
to the fact that while yet at Viterbo he
won admiration, not only by his quick
intelligence but by the singular purity
of his life. All through his studies in
Rome he never sought social gather
ings, CONVERSATIONS, diversions, or
games. His work table was his world;
it was paradise to him to be plunged in
the study Of science. From his twelfth
l ? I =
and thirteenth year upward he wrote
Latin prose and verse with a facility
and elegance that were wonderful III
one so young. In 1880 he was natricu-
Hated among the theological or divinity
students Of the Gregorian University.
his Alma Mater. In 1882 he won and
received his degree of Doctor in Theol-
ogY, the highest and most important
academical distinction conferred BIZ
| the church. Thenceforward he signed
himself Gioacchimo, or Joachim.
Having determined to cast his lot with
the SECULAR priesthood, he found him
self at the end Of The year 1882, in the
necessity Of choosing between a career
| of parochial duty or the service of the
Holy See, and chose the latter, enter
ing the college for noble ecclesiastics,
the nursery fer all who are destined
for = dinlomafic or af3miniatratiyo sa